Drier



June 4, 1929. c. H. CURRIER 1,716,304

DRIER Filed Dec. 19, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet X37/"6. Q

Patented June 4, 1.929.

UNITED STATES CHARLES H. RRIER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRIER.

Application filed December 19, 1927.

This invention relates to improvements in drier apparatus, more particularly in the extremely large sizes, Where it is necessary to control and circulate the' air in large structures.

The main objects of the yinvention are to provide an improved Aconstruction and arrangement Which Will make possible the operation and use of a very large drying room; to provide means for effectively controlling the circulation of the air through such. a room; to provide means for zoning the air in the room; to enable the maintenance of different temperatures and different air conditions in various positions of the room, so that the drying may progress in the most effective manner to enable the carrying on of large quantity production in a continuous manner Without the former expensive delays in the drying process; to providesuch apparatus in which the material is dried in a more perfect manner to improve the quality of the product; to provide such an apparatus Which requires the venting of a smaller quantity of air to ei'ect a saving in the amount of heat required and in the expense of operation; and to provide means for more gradually cooling` the product as it is discharged from the drying room.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a longitudinal section of a drier,shovving an assembly view ofthe equipment and apparatus in operation. Fig. 2 is a plan section taken on the line 2 2 or Fig. l. F ig. 3 is a transverse section taken through one of the pent houses as on line 3 3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the front end of the drier, with parts shown in section and parts shown in elevation.

In the drawings is illustrated a drier which, in actual construction, is 'approximately 200 feet long, feet high and 1-9 feet Wide, built especially for handling linoleum which is manufactured in the four story structure indicated atthe left of Fig. 1. The linoleum, in continuous stri-ps of 6 to 9 feet in Width, is taken from the fourth Hoor into the drier, through a small opening directly below the air exhaust flue, hung in loops or festoons which are supported on travelling chain belts and carried through at least three distinct zones of drying'air, and drawn out 0f the festoons and discharged Serial No. 241,064.

through a small opening in the loiver rear Y 4charged out of the room, together .with

some of the air in the room; and the air, entering at the discharge end, is drawn upwardly along the `end folds of the linoleum for gradual cooling and also for extracting and saving-the heat. The entering air is then drawn intov an air conditioning unit located in a pent house on the roof; dehu midiiied if necessary, reheated and dis charged into the bottomof -the end zone of the room. The air rises along the surface of the hanging loops of the lino-leum, and is drawn out of the top of the room by con* ditioning and handling apparatusflocated in a pent house on'the middle portion of the roof. The air is Ythen returned to the bottom of the intermediate Zone, and Withdrawn from the upper portion thereof and again returned to the roo-m inthe lower portion of the first zone, Where the air rises and is passed out 'thru the exhaust stack at the front end of the room. The air in the room is separated into longitudinal zones bymeans of pairs of vertical baffle plates which extend inwardly from the side Walls, leaving sulicient space in the center unobstructed for the passage of the'linoleum. To prevent the rising air from clinging to the walls horizontal, balifle plates are also provided in the side Walls, Which serve to direct the air inwardly to the center of the room.

The air is conducted downwardly from the pent houses located on the roof, 'by means of ducts located Within the room, and on the side Walls. The air is discharged at the lower ends of the ducts through small openings in latterly extending headers into the bottom loops of the festoons. The greater portion of the air rises in the loops, Which are open at the top., and therefore in Contact with the coated. surface.

Referring to the drawings, the drier l comprises a high narrow rectangular building substantially closed at the ends. rllhe material 2,7Which in this instance is linoleum, is drawn in continuous strips, in from the finishing ioor 3 of the factory building 4:, 'through a small inlet aperture 5, Which in the actual construction is approximately 32 inches high and about l0 feet Wide. The exhaust stack 6 extends through the rooie of the building and opens immediately above the inlet aperture 5. lThe stack flue Cil is provided with a suitable manually controlled butterfly valve 7 so that the amount of venting may be suitably controlled.

The crane ways 8 are provided in the sides of the upper portion of the room l along which are mounted, on either side of the room, suitable horizontal chain belts 9 which are adapted to support and carry along the poles 10 which are inserted under the lino'- leum to support and form the estoons. The poles 10 are initially inserted under the incoming strips by attendants and placed on the inclined flights 11 of the feed belts 12. The belt 12 travels faster than the horizontal belts 9 to term the loops and place the loops on the slower moving carrier, with the poles 10 quite close together, as shown in Fig. 1. y

At the discharge end, the poles 1() drop out as they pass over the ends ot the horizontal belts, and the linoleum is drawn upwardly over the rotatively mounted guide roller 13 and out through the discharge aperture 14, guided by a roller 15. Air entering at the aperture is drawn upwardly along the surface of the last downfall 1G of the linoleum, so that the material is cooled before leaving the drying room.

rIhe zones A, B and C, Fig. 2, are separated by the vertical inwardly extending baffle plates 17, supported by the walls 18, and extend from the bottom of the room substantially to the top, terminating at the floors of the crane ways 8. Horizonal baffle walls 18 are placed along the sides of the room, and extend 'from the front end to the rear lend to the rear end thereof.

Three air conditioning units, 19, 20, and 21, are placed along the root` in suitable pent houses 22. The units comprise the necessary air conditioning and heating equipment, together with suitable blowers for handling the air. The intake duct 23 ot the unit 21 opens into the upper portion ot the room immediately above the discharge aperture 14 so that the cold air is drawn upwardly and immediately withdrawn trom the room. The air is then passed through the apparatus 21 and suitably heated and conditioned, as required, and then discharged through the downwardly extending ducts 24, supported in the sides of the room, out through suitably controlled discharge openings 25, in the lateral headers 2G. The headers 26 extend horizontally in the sides of the bottom of the room so that the air from the outlets 25 is blown directly in the bottom loops of the festoons.

The headers 26ot the unit 21 are located in the bottom of the third zone C, and the intake 23, ot the intermediate unit 20, draws the air in from the top of the third zone and returns the same, suitably conditioned, to the bottom ot the intermediate zone B.

The intake 23 of the first unit 19, draws air from the top of the kintermediate zone B, and discharges the same in the bottom of the first zone A. The air is drawn out ot the first zone through the exhaust stack 6, and the control valve 7.

The air rises along the coated surfaces of the material in the festoons and is directed inwardly by means of the horizontal baffle plates 18, which also serve to form horizontal zones. By means of the vertical balile plates 17, and the arrangement of the air conditioning apparatus, the temperature and saturation ofV the air may be controlled as required throughout the length of the room. By using the fresh air, entering at the rear, over and over again, the air may be saturated to the fullest degree before being vented at the front end.

In some instances, the temperature is controlled so that 10() degrees :is maintained in one zone, 130 degrees in the second and 138 degrees in the third zone. In this manner the rate of drying may be controlled to prevent surface drying and cracking, and a great saving is made in the amount of heat required.

.lVhile but one illustrative embodiment ot my invention has been shown and described, many alterations and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, asl described in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a substantially closed drying room ot considerable height with respect to the width, pairs of vertical inwardly extending baille plates spaced along thewalls ot the room to divide the room into zones ot length, an air inlet aperture in the lower portion of the rear end of the room, an air conditioning unit having an air intake in the top of the room above said air inlet and having discharge pipes opening into the bottom ot the room in the last zone, and simi lar air conditioning units spaced along the length ot the room having the respective air intakes opening into the subsequent zone and the air dischargev opening into the bottom ot the immediate zone, and an exhaust flue in the top of the front end ot the room.

2. In a drying room, said room having means for supporting festoons of sheet material to be dried and for moving the testoons through the room, and having an outlet aperture at the lower portion ot the rear end through which the material is withdrawn, means for drawing air out ot the room above said outlet aperture to draw air in through the aperture to cool the material at the discharge end.

Signed at Chicago this 12 day ot Dec., 1927.

CHARLES H. CURRIER. 

